The episode was inspired by the Netflix documentary series “Making A Murderer ” (which I highly recommend). The opening scene featured Vice President Joe Biden, who is at the SVU and explains his real-life advocacy for rape victims. The squad is dealing with a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years for rape – a case that Fin and the SVU worked - and who was eventually exonerated. The evidence that clears him came from a previously untested rape kit in Detroit. I’m a little confused about the connection to the rape kit in Detroit to Sean's original case. Did they have no DNA at the time for the rape 16 years ago? Did they have DNA from that rape but could not get Sean’s DNA to make a match? If they had DNA from the case 16 years ago, why didn’t Sean’s defense test Sean’s DNA to see if it was or wasn’t a match? Or, if they had no DNA from the original rape 16 years ago, how did they match it to the Detroit case? I could be over thinking this but hopefully someone can explain to my apparently feeble brain why I can’t connect all the dots here with the Detroit case and how it cleared Sean.

I have mixed feelings about this episode. The dialog was well written (I especially liked the “parsing degrees of deceit” line) and Kelli Williams acting was heartbreaking. Raúl Esparza brought his "A" game. It gave Ice-T a substantive contribution to an episode. But there was something that felt wrong about how Barba presented his case. By bringing in Dr. Singh’s testimony about how one could be affected by being wrongfully incarcerated for 16 years, I thought that he opened up a door to Sean for some sort of mental defect or insanity defense. Yet Buchanan never capitalized on that. By Barba not calling Fin to the stand, it would have appeared as an admission that Barba felt something was wrong with how Fin obtained the new evidence. I think that Buchanan would have eventually called Fin in an effort to challenge how Fin found the engagement ring, so I am perplexed as to why Barba wouldn’t want to frame Fin’s story first. (Barba got pushed into calling Fin to testify anyway.) If Barba prepped Charlie, how strongly did he push him during prep? Obviously not strongly enough, as Barba was blindsided about how Rollins obtained Charlie’s claim that he saw Sean.

And while we are on the subject of Rollins, Barba was 100% correct to call her on her “parsing degrees of deceit.” Based on what we saw, Rollins clearly was playing up to Charlie to get him to admit he saw Sean. Touching him was no accident. It was inevitable that how she obtained Charlie’s statement was going to come into play during the trial. Rollins deserved to be humiliated in court, but of course we had to hear how “attractive” that Rollins is during the process. Cringe-worthy.

In the opening, when Sean announces he will be going out drinking – legally – for the first time, and Benson tells him to have fun and “stay safe,” this is code for “trouble will quickly ensue.” When Ashley is being wheeled out after being raped, strangled, stabbed, bleached, and burned, I wondered how Melanie, who said she heard Sean's voice, heard none of the sounds that would have been associated with such a violent attack. I also question how they found no blood or bleach evidence on Sean. Did he throw all his clothes away and did they ever do a search in nearby trash bins for bloody clothes? Maybe I missed something but I thought that this part of the investigation was thin.

Vice President Joe Biden is visiting the Special Victims Unit. He explains that his dad used to have an expression that the greatest sin any person could commit is abuse of power. As Benson stands nearby, he states that the greatest abuse of power was rape and it takes a woman a long time to heal. With other members of law enforcement watches, he explains that when the victim isn’t believed when she goes through the invasive process of having a rape kit put together, and then it is stuck on a shelf somewhere and then never tested, we fail her; we fail so many women. He is proud to say today that they did not fail, thanks to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement, the whole legal system and advocacy groups, and particularly his friend here, Lieutenant Olivia Benson of SVU. He congratulates her and shakes her hand as the others applaud. Benson thanks him and states they are so honored to stand her today with him to announce that in beginning to clear the national rape kit backlog, we have taken rapists off the streets, we have prevented future crimes, have given victims closure, and they have also righted a terrible wrong. She explains that 16 years ago, Sean Roberts (who is waiting in the background) was convicted of rape in New York City that he did not commit. By processing an untested rape kit in Detroit, they were able to identify the real rapist, and set Sean free. The crowd applauds.

Afterwards, Sean Roberts states he wants to thank everyone who tested the kits; he has only been out of prison for a month but it already feels like a second chance at life. While Benson and Fin look on, Sean adds he bears no ill will towards Melanie Harper, she is as much a victim as he is. He explains it is a fresh start for him, Melanie, and her daughter Ashley. Melanie says they are looking forward to the next chapter, and Ashley adds she and her mother want to make amends and have Sean in their lives. She happily announces she is getting married next month and has invited Sean to the wedding. Benson looks on with surprise. Melanie thanks the reporters and then approaches Benson and Fin and thanks them for everything. Benson comments it seems like they have all gotten close. Melanie explains she is just glad Sean has forgiven her. Fin says it was an honest mistake; at the time, she was sure it was him. She says she was wrong – they were both wrong. Fin nods. Ashley approaches and asks if they are ready to go. Fin comments that the last time he saw Ashley she was 6 years old and now she is getting married, and he congratulates her. Ashley thanks him and Melanie says they are taking Sean out for his birthday tonight and Sean adds it is the first time he can legally drink. Benson smiles and tells them to have fun – and stay safe. Sean nods and they all walk off. Afterwards, Benson asks Fin if he is okay with all this, and he replies he’s good, he is just glad Sean in out of jail. Benson agrees.

Later, Fin and Rollins arrive at a scene, and Fin tells an officer that Melanie Harper asked for him. She directs him inside, adding she is a mess. As Fin heads in, Rollins asks the officer what they are looking at. The officer says the mother was sleeping and smelled smoke and called it in. The girl was raped, strangled, stabbed, doused in bleach, and burned.

Inside, as the EMTs load Ashley onto a gurney, Melanie tries to console her. Fin asks Melanie what happened, and she explains she came down and found Ashley like this. Fin asks if she saw or heard anybody, Melanie says she heard a man. When Fin asks if she would recognize his voice, she says she thinks it was Sean. Rollins looks at a surprised Fin and asks if it was Sean Roberts, the guy they just got out of prison. Fin says, with concern, “Yeah” as he looks around the scene.

At the hospital with Fin and Rollins, Benson asks Fin that Ashley Harper was raped and stabbed and if Sean Roberts was involved, and Fin explains Melanie said she heard Sean’s voice in the house. Benson states they know they went out together last night, asking if they talked to him yet. Fin replies that considering the history, they figured they should talk to Benson first. Benson says alright, asking what they have. Rollins says there was no sign of forced entry so Ashley probably did know her attacker, and there is a kitchen knife that is missing. Fin adds that CSU is running the scene; whoever did this, they used bleach on her and they burned her, and got rid of all DNA. Benson questions who else was in her life, she just got engaged. Rollins explain they are tracking down her fiancé and they are going through her texts and social media. Benson tells them to run down every single angle: security cams in the house and neighborhood, traffic cams, canvass the neighbors. They need to be sure about every single detail on this. Benson gets a message; she says Carisi is here and asks them to loop him in and have him talk to the fiancé, and she asks Rollins to talk to Sean. As Rollins walks off, Fin asks if he is being pulled off the case, but Benson says no, she needs to keep him on, saying it is optics. Fin asks what that means, and she says if he steps away from the case, it will look like he has something personal with Sean and give credibility to his lawsuit, adding to let Rollins take the lead. Fin says “got it.”

Friday, September 23, 2016

Here are preview clips for Law & Order SVU, “Making A Rapist” which will air on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 9PM ET on NBC. The clips feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, and Henry Thomas as Sean Roberts.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

It was an action packed season 18 premiere of Law & Order SVU with a story that involved terrorism, rape, locked phones, and feuding in the workplace. It gave viewers plenty to absorb and to talk about.

Benson is still stinging over the death of Sergeant Mike Dodds and the guilt is weighing heavy on her. Her boss, Chief Dodds, is clearly blaming her for his son’s death, and Benson thinks he’s not wrong in doing so. Benson seems to be trying to move on from the ordeal, but Dodds clearly has a long way to go. During an argument about the direction they should take with the case, Dodds explodes with anger and blurts out his true feelings that he blames Benson for his son’s death. After the words come out of his mouth, he seems to regret them. Maybe hearing and realizing the ugliness of his own words is his first step in acceptance and forgiveness?

Benson has always taken her job seriously, including her advocacy for the victims. One has to question if she took it a little too far in this case. Did Benson make an error by interjecting herself in proving the defense’s allegation of rape? Benson’s continuing to pursue the case after being told not to could create a rift between her and the DA’s office and with her superiors at One PP. The question that is asked throughout the episode: Is Ana a victim or is she playing them? Benson only sees Ana as a victim, while Barba and Chief Dodds are either highly skeptical or are willing to look past her rape claims and the evidence because of the terror threat and the murders. I found myself agreeing more with Dodds and Barba's approach than I did with Benson's on this one. It’s not that I didn’t think Ana was assaulted, but I think it was up to Calhoun, not Benson, to prove this point as part of her affirmative defense.

It’s unclear to me as to why Barba was prosecuting the murder case as I thought his focus was special victims. Also, it appeared that SVU was running point on tracking down the terrorists, something I don’t think would happen in the real world, considering the amount of weaponry found in Luka and Ana’s apartment and the potential threat to the public.

Did Carisi make a mistake by taking Armin’s phone and attempting a phone call to Luka with Armin present, allowing Armin to tip off Luka?

Fin is now not only responsible for the comic relief (“Oh, your people came here on the Mayflower, huh?”) but he also serves as the muscle, breaking into an apartment door using his shoulder. Every time I see how easy it is to break down a New York City apartment door, I wonder how anyone can feel safe in their own homes.

The relationship between Benson and Tucker is going strong and they both seem to be very happy with how things are progressing. Tucker is now working for the Conviction Integrity Unit, and I suspect he will have an opportunity in the future to work with SVU.

Should Benson have taken Noah with her to check on the boy in the park when the call first came in? It initially sounded like a simple case of a lost boy but it turned bad quick.

A possible continuity error or an odd scene transition: At the park with Noah, Benson was sleeveless when her phone started ringing; she moves to answer it and is now wearing a jacket.

A woman is walking in a park with a young boy. As the boy runs off toward a group of people with balloons, the woman is hit by a bicyclist. The boy is drawn in by the balloons and does not see this.

Meanwhile, in another park, Benson is playing with Noah, spinning him around, commenting that he wants her to fly him like the plane they took to Paris. He laughs and she puts him down and as he runs off to play, Benson takes the last sip of her coffer and then pitches the cup in a trash bin. She notices that the cup is now resting on the top of a newspaper which features a large photo of the slain Sergeant Mike Dodds. She looks away and her phone rings and she moves to answer it. It is Carisi and she asks him what’s up. She tells him she will take care of it, adding she is in the park right now with Noah. She comments “Playground at 84 Street, Office Nolan? Got it.” She tells Noah to come on.

Later, at that playground, Benson watches a young boy playing, and Office Nolan explains he found the kid about 20 minutes ago. (It is Ali, the boy who was separated from his caretaker when she was hit by the bike.) The boy didn’t seem to speak English and his sergeant told him to call SVU. She tells him she has it from here. Benson approaches the boy playing in a sandbox and cheerfully says she is Olivia and introduces Noah. She asks where is his mommy, asking if she came to the park with him, or maybe his daddy, grandma, or nanny. The boy begins to speak in another language, hitting his pile of sand and saying “boom!” Olivia repeats “boom!” and laughs, trying to make a connection with the boy. She asks if his mamma or dadda is her, pointing around the park. The boy says nothing, and, motioning. she then asks the boy to come with her and she will help him find his mamma and dadda. The boy moves back and reaches for a backpack, pulling out a gun. Benson, stunned, moves Noah behind her, telling him to get down. Trying to be calm, she asks the boy to put it down, and when Officer Nolan moves in closer with his gun drawn, Benson tells Nolan it is okay, she has this. She calls out to the watching crowd that she has this, and, raising her hands and showing her badge, she asks them to step back. As the crowd moves away, the boy raises his gun, looking as if he is aiming for Benson. She tells the boy it is okay and to look, dropping her badge, saying she is not going to hurt him. She asks him to put it down, trying to explain it is okay and she is not going to hurt him. The boy appears to be taking aim. Benson, trying to speak in a calm and reassuring voice, moves in closer to the boy, grabbing the gun and disarming it. She breathes heavily as she relaxes and Officer Nolan moves in and takes the weapon. Benson moves towards Ali and then tries to reassure Noah, hugging him and telling him it is okay.

Later, at the hospital where the boy has been taken, Benson speaks with Dr. Wilder who says the boy is fine, he has a few bruises but there is no sign of sexual abuse. She adds there are some signs of psychological trauma. He said a few words in English but his native language may be Russian or eastern European. Benson explains social services is trying to locate a translator and they are trying to track down any family. Wilder asks about the loaded gun, saying he is lucky to be alive. Carisi, Rollins, and Fin arrive. Carisi explains the woman in the bike accident didn’t make it, and Rollins adds that the police found witnesses in the park who put her and the boy together. The woman is Rahima Babic, but they can’t establish her relationship with the boy. Fin states the Glock is unregistered, they are tracking the serial number. When Rollins asks if they should turn this over to the precinct, Benson replies she wants to keep it for now – the kid got the gun from somebody. She tells them to run prints, touch DNA, and go to Rahima’s address and see what they can find.

The detectives arrive at the apartment of Rahima Babic, 25-72 18th Street in Astoria Queens on Wednesday, July 27. Carisi and Rollins find no other weapons and but see signs the kid was staying there. Fin is checking with the neighbors. Rollins finds luggage which has the boy’s name as Ali with a photo of a woman who is likely his mother. There is a detailed schedule of what to do with Ali. There was a note for the boy where the writer - presumably his mother - tells Rahima to tell Ali that no matter what happens, she loves him more than anything in the world. Carisi thinks it sounds like she did not know when and if she was coming back. Fin arrives with a neighbor = Brian O’Malley – and he knows Mrs. Babic and has also seen the woman in the photo. He assumed Babic was a relation and there was a lot of arguing. When he says there is always something with these people, When Fin questions “these people?” Brian answers, :Immigrants.” Fin comments, “Oh, and your people came here on the Mayflower, huh?” Rollins explains they need to find the boy’s mother, and he thinks she worked as a waitress but doesn’t know where. As Brian leaves, Rollins notices the leftovers in the fridge are all from the same place – a diner, The Parthenon.

Later, at the Parthenon Diner at 29-23 30th Avenue in Astoria, Queens on Wednesday. July 27, Carisi, with Rollins, speak with the manager who identifies the woman as Ana Kapic, one of his waitresses. She hasn’t shown up for three days, saying she comes and goes. He didn’t know she had a son, calling him a poor thing, explaining that a lot of times Ana would show up with a black eye or bruises, he guesses from a boyfriend. Carisi asks for her address and phone number, and the manager has it. He asks if she is in trouble, and Rollins says yes, he can say that.

Afterwards, Carisi and Rollins are at the address – 2792 Broadway - and it is for Crown Services, a repair business, and there is no residence there. The store owner does not recognize Ana or her name. Her phone looks like a burner. Carisi summarizes they have a fake address, a burner cell, and a boy with a loaded gun, and a goodbye note from the mother; he thinks she is either involved with a dealer or is a prostitute. Rollins wonders if her son is better off with social services. Carisi thinks the note she left means she loves her son, and Rollins comments dryly that sometimes that is not enough.

Outside the precinct, Benson speaks with Tucker, telling him it has been 10 hours and they are no closer to finding the boy’s parents. She says she feels so…Tucker finishes the line, saying “Responsible? Because you found him?” He reminds her Ali held a loaded gun on her and she says he didn’t know what he was doing. Tucker thinks this is even more dangerous. Benson gets misty eyed and says all she could think about was Noah, and Tucker stops her, asking if she is alright. But she says it is okay, and ask they continue to walk on, she comments about Tucker’s new job at the Conviction Integrity Unit, saying it is impressive. He thinks it could be interesting working with the DA’s office, kicking the tires on cases, like an in-house innocence project. Benson gets a phone call and before she answers it, she tells Tucker it sounds great. She tells the caller she is on her way up, and she tells Tucker that Fin has a lead. She gives him a peck on the check and says bye, racing up the stairs. Tucker sighs.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Here are advance photos for Law & Order SVU, “Making A Rapist” which will air on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino, Raúl Esparza , Henry Thomas as Sean Roberts, Alexis Collins as Ashley Harper, Delaney Williams as Counselor John Buchanan, and Kelli Williams as Melanie Harper. The episode will also feature Vice President Joe Biden.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Here are preview clips from the season 18 premiere of Law & Order SVU, “Terrorized” which will air on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 9PM ET on NBC. The videos feature Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Raúl Esparza, and Peter Gallager.

Please note: These videos have a limited life and may be removed at any time, so catch them while you can!